Congratulations !! You are a good role model for everyone. We can all learn something valueable from you.
Are you following a special diet? Exercise? What has kept you NED for so long?
Whatever it is keep up the good work.

Thank you for the messages. As a reminder, I was diagnosed Dec 1999, Stage III, infiltrating ductal, 9 positive nodes out of 21, Her2Nue, estrogen negative, 5.2 cm tumor. I was 44 years old. My maternal grandmother died of bc but I tested negative for BRCA 1 & 2 (which I got for my kids).

I had a mastectomy on the cancerous breast, 4 rounds of adriamycin/cytoxin, 4 rounds of taxotere, 25 hits of radiation, 52 weekly herceptins. I was an aggressive “SOB” in guiding my own treatment but not out of any intelligent design; just a primal need to survive for my young kids.

9 months later, I opted for a prophylactic mastectomy on the other breast and a year later, a prophylactic hysterectomy.

I do nothing special. I eat anything I want; I haven't cut out anything. I generally follow a good diet that I think of as a modified Atkins; lots of meat and vegetables, but also, a lot of fruit. I drink coffee and alcohol; I eat chocolate and other sweets. I have a desk job; I only walk for exercise. I stay ferociously busy - 4 courses away from completing my doctorate which I started 2 years ago.

I don’t think I have anything to “teach” anyone; I think it’s all a crap shoot. I have no idea why I survived and other worthy women did not. In my opinion, the ones who have passed are the real warriors. Somehow, I scraped through.

I remember the terror and despair. Block it out, minimize it, compartmentalize it…whatever. It’s all in God’s hands.

Gabrielle
You are true inspiration and thank you very much for sharing your story. My stats seem similar to you and I am hoping for a positive outcome like you have achieved. Reading your success story is very helpful.

Thank you so much for sharing your story!!! And congratulations on your 11th year and counting!!!!

Btw, since you're ER-/PR-, I think making it to 11 years is a huge accomplishment - you can pretty much consider yourself cured! I had read somewhere that ER-/PR- have the highest risk early on, and you'll clearly over the hill for that.

gabrielle - your posts are terrific. first, congratulations on the second decade NED. that's just wonderful. thanks for the background you gave too. and most of all, i am psyched to see that you didn't give up anything - my head SWIMS when i read all the DON'T's all over the place. i mean god, life is supposed to be enjoyed. so seeing your history is quite encouraging because that's how i want to live too. thank you for sharing your success and your great attitude. valerie

__________________
8/09 - IDC 1.8 cm triple positive, lumpectomy left breast
10/09 began chemo (taxotere & carboplatin) and weekly herceptin.
1/21/10 finished chemo, continued on herceptin every 3 weeks until 10/2010.
2/10 began 7 wks of radiation
6/10 mom dies of primary peritoneal ovarian cancer
8/10 got my last remaining ovary out
10/10 mammogram all clear
3/11 MRI shows 5 'spots' in right breast, largest 1 cm unidentifiable on US
needle biopsy proved the largest to be old inflamed cyst -phew!
7/10 switched to Arimidex
8/9 switched to Femara - allergic to arimidex
Femara made me lose hair quickly so switched to Aromasin
Aromasin made my hair fall out too and the bone pain was too much.
back on Tamoxifen 1/2013.
blood clot from trains and planes 5/2014 so on coumadin per onco for as long as i am on tamoxifen
tamoxifen was supposed to be up with my 5 yrs in may but my boyfriend was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer so i am staying on tamoxifen indefinitely because i want some ammo against BC, given the stress. lost my husband in only 10 wks in 2007 to stage 4 esophageal cancer.
cancer's screwing with another man i love
2/2016 - 6yrs in remission, off tamoxifen and off coumadin - yay!

Now I'm really inspired as you were hormone negative too. Like Valerie, my head swims reading all the information about what you should/should not do. I've questioned everything I've ever done in my life that could have caused this bc-none in my family and no other types of cancer either.

But, when I realized I know people who have lived worse lifestyles than mine and never had cancer, I quit the blame game.

I want to do all I can to avoid a recurrence, but I just don't want it to rule my life and stress about everything I eat or don't eat. I am trying to eat healthier......

Gabrielle, thank you for the post. I am scared and folks like you give me so much hope. I had quite a bit of node involvement. You had herceptin back then? was that in a clinical trial? just wondering. I was trying to monitor what i eat but that is hard to do and hard not to do. thanks for your positive post. God surely has a plan for you!!!